Perfect front 9 hands Scholtz maiden Big Easy title at Modderfontein

Marcel Steyn Scholtz was seven shots off the lead heading into the final round of the Betway Big Easy Tour’s second tournament held at Modderfontein Golf Club, but overturned that deficit in style to claim a three-shot victory for his maiden title.

In a drama-filled final round on the challenging Modderfontein track, it was Scholtz who stole the show. Following opening rounds of 73 and 68, the Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate player was some way off Keenan Davidse who was 10-under after 36 holes. The 30-year-old Scholtz produced one of the finest front nine performances the Big Easy Tour has ever had; a blemish-free nine-under-par 27.

Eagles on the par-five first and the par-four second holes were followed by four birdies on the trot as Scholtz overtook Davidse after his first six holes. He made two important pars on seven and eight to keep the scorecard clean and then birdied the ninth to turn in 27 and with the lead.

“I was hitting the ball really well on the front nine,” Scholtz said. “I lost a bit of momentum on the back nine but I feel like I kept it nicely together. I kept the ball in play and I gave myself good opportunities and just kept the ball rolling on the greens.”

He followed that birdie up with further gains as he birdied the 10^th to get his total to 13-under-par. With the chasing pack coming in strong and led by young gun, Yurav Premlal, Scholtz knew any mistake could and would be costly. He kept things tight from there on, making eight pars one after the other to see the job done.

“This is my second professional win; the first was a one-day Blue Label event last year, which was nice,” Scholtz said. “But this one is even sweeter. As you know the Big Easy is a way to the Sunshine Tour, so this win is very important. One of my goals this year is to win three Big Easy Tour events and ultimately win the Order of Merit. So, I’m very stoked and thankful for this win.”

While Scholtz’s goal may seem a little lofty to some, the man himself will feel relieved that his first of three targeted wins is already in the bag. And now that he is third on the Order of Merit thanks to his dominant triumph on Thursday, Scholtz will be further motivated to strive for the summit of those rankings.

It is still quite early in the season but a good start has never hurt anybody. The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s developmental circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els among others.

Davidse leads by three ahead of the final round

Sunshine Tour campaigner, Keenan Davidse, produced another round of 67 during the second round of the Betway Big Easy Tour event at Modderfontein Golf Club and will take a three-shot lead into the final round.

On a tournament total of 10-under-par, Davidse assumed the top spot on the leaderboard as overnight leader, Yurav Premlal, faltered to a one-under 71 for a total of seven-under. Barring the bogeys he made on the third, sixth and 18^th holes, the Stellenbosch Golf Club member had a solid round on day two.

In what proved to be an eventful round on a tricky Modderfontein layout, Davidse was able to make eight birdies on the day, signifying his ability to weave together a really low score on his day. Despite playing some scintillating golf this week, Davidse refuses to get carried away, especially at the back of the break he took before teeing up in this event.

“The game still feels rusty,” he said, “but I’m not complaining. I was hitting it decently but not the way I know I can hit it. I’m enjoying myself out here though and I don’t want to put pressure on myself. Let’s take it one shot at a time and see where we are tomorrow.”

He is well justified in refusing to get carried away. The chase, led by Premlal, will be on in the final round and any slip in concentration can prove very costly very quickly. So, even though he lamented his error-prone second round, Premlal has all the qualities to give Davidse a run for his money. Besides, other very capable players such as Tyron Davidowitz (5-under-par and third on the leaderboard) are lurking dangerously as the final round approaches.

“I made a lot of mistakes today,” admitted Premlal who plays out of Glendower Golf Club, the former home of the Investec South African Open Championship. “I started off with a six on a par-five, which is never good. Two mistakes on the front nine and I missed a couple of decent putts.

“But, there are a few things I have already figured out after that round, which I need to get better at going into tomorrow and the rest of the season. I know where the shots were lost, at least, and I’ll try to put together a good one tomorrow.”

Andrew Williamson, Eric Wowor, Vaughn van Deventer, Francois Van der Walt and Jacquin Hess tied fourth on four-under while Paul Boshoff, Warwick Purchase and Marcel Steyn Scholtz make up the top ten leading players on three-under-par.

Premlal charges to early lead at Modderfontein

Yurav Premlal carded an opening round of 66 to take a slim one-stroke lead in the Betway Big Easy Tour tournament held at Modderfontein Golf Club on Tuesday.

Premlal, a member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class, was as meticulous as he was relentless on day one, with his near-perfect six-under-par 66 catapulting him to the summit early on in this 54-hole event.

“It was very consistent the whole day,” said Premlal, reflecting on his effort in the first round. “I hit a lot of greens and I gave myself a lot of chances. I started with birdies on one and two; hit two good iron shots and made up-and-down on one and made a good five-footer on two. I hit a good wedge shot on seven and made birdie there.

Premlal made four birdies and a solitary bogey on the front nine but, with the calmness of a seasoned veteran, avoided any more big numbers when coming homeward as he went around that bogey-free.

“I didn’t hit the best of iron shots on nine,” said the GolfRSA graduate of his bogey on nine. “I think I missed it on the left bunker and I didn’t up-and-down. On the back nine, I played really solidly and I think I hit almost every green. I gave myself a lot of chances. It was a solid day.”

Keenan Davidse who is also a member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class weaved together a solid 67 to share second with Francois Van der Walt and Eric Wowor. Following a short break from golf due to some very personal and tough circumstances which included the loss of his uncle and cousin, the Sunshine Tour player, Davidse, showed his quality and experience against a very tough field on Tuesday.

“I’ve gone through the most in the last couple of months and I just decided to take a short break,” said Davidse. “I’m just glad to be back playing again. This is an interesting golf course; it’s a bit tough but you still need to golf the ball off the tee. I feel my game is still rusty; I hit a couple of bad ones out there and got lucky but I’m chuffed with the way I played.

“But, I’m rolling it nicely; I got a new putter yesterday and that’s pretty good. I also got a new Titleist driver, the new GT2, and that thing flies. And, it’s not going left, so that’s a good thing. So, let’s see what happens over the next two days.”

Van der Walt was also pleased with his performance on day one and will hope to replicate it over the next 36 holes of golf here. The trio of Thanda Mavundla, Makhetha Mazibuko and Jacquin Hess – all members of the Sunshine Tour’s transformation-driven Papwa Sewgolum Class initiative – carded opening rounds of 69 to share fifth on three-under.

Andre De Decker, amateur Christiaan Heyman, Kyke Wykes and State Mines Country Club’s Vaugh van Deventer share the eighth spot on two-under-par with two rounds to go.

Pickering hopes good form will help to Modderfontein victory

Slade Pickering says he is hoping his good form will carry him to his first win of the season when the second tournament of the Betway Big Easy Tour tees off at Modderfontein Golf Club on Tuesday.

Pickering tied second with Brandon Gildenhuys in the first event of the season in Benoni, and ninth in a Bushveld Tour event held at this week’s venue a few weeks after. He feels his game is headed in the right direction but refuses to get carried away ahead of this week’s tournament.

“I had a great start to the previous season as well but things went a little quiet towards the end of the season,” he recalled. “So, I know that I must keep grounded and work hard and that work continues this week.

“I did play a Bushveld event here and did well. It was great to see what clubs I will use off the tee and know where to place my shots. I realised that you have to place your shots in good positions to get anything here but you also don’t want to be looking for too much when you’re around the greens. If I can do that, I will give myself decent opportunities and that’s all you need.”

Confident as Pickering is, he is fully aware of the immense pressure that comes with competing against the best players on Tour – many of whom are also Sunshine Tour members.

“It’s great that we always have guys from the Sunshine Tour competing here,” he said. “It shows you where you are and how you can improve yourself. Mainly, however, is that competing against guys like these prepares you for the kind of calibre you will need to compete against on the Sunshine Tour and prepares you for that.”

It’s still early in the new campaign but the Pecanwood Golf Estate player, Pickering, isn’t relaxed. He has set himself goals he feels that, if achieved, will catapult him to the pinnacle of South African golf; the Sunshine Tour.

“In the short-term, I just want to play myself into positions that will give me a chance at a win. I want to win something this season and I know it will not be easy. But the main goal is to secure my Sunshine Tour card for next season.”

Pickering, lying second on the Order of Merit after the first event of the season, will know that a good result this week will solidify his position among the top players. Long as the season will be, Pickering knows that solid results in the first couple of events will set him up for a strong finish and possibly see him earn his Sunshine Tour playing privileges.

Vorster claims first win of the season

Parys Golf and Country Club member, Leon Vorster, claimed the first tournament of the season when he raced to a five-stroke victory in the Betway Big Easy Tour’s season-opener at Benoni Country Club on Thursday.

Vorster was in a three-way share of the lead heading into the final round in the East Rand. He produced an eye-catching round of seven-under-par 65 to win on a total of 13-under-par 203.

“It’s super tough to win here,” said Vorster in the aftermath of his victory. “You have to play three very good rounds of golf to be able to win on the Big Easy. The scoring here is insanely low. I played well from day one; from hole one. I played some exceptional golf. I did make mistakes but that’s golf and you can’t always play perfect golf. But, mentally and physically, the game was high up there this week.”

Vorster’s triumph in Benoni was technically his second Betway Big Easy Tour title back-to-back. He won the final tournament of the previous season and has now claimed the very first of the current campaign.

“It feels good to be able to win again; it’s been a while for my golf to get better again,” Vorster added. “I’m very privileged to have won the last tournament of last season and start the new season with another win. This is a great opportunity to play and play against great players.

“I enjoy playing here because it motivates me to play better golf; the quality of the players here is on another level. It was tough this week and especially this morning. The conditions were really tough. We got delayed for over an hour because of the fog this morning and it was just a tough day. I’m very happy to shoot a 65 in such difficult conditions. It was great.”

Slade Pickering played himself into a share of second by producing a fine 67 to get to eight-under and tie second with Brandon Gildenhuys. Member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class, Yurav Premlal, shared fourth with Tyron Davidowitz of Hermanus Golf Club. They finished the tournament seven-under-par.

Rookie Jaden Deltel finished solo sixth with an impressive tournament total of four-under-par

The next event will be held at Modderfontein Golf Club from 15 to 17 July.

Davidowitz surges to share of lead in Benoni

Hermanus’ Tyron Davidowitz played himself into contention of this week’s Betway Big Easy Tour event, producing a disciplined two-under-par 70 to total six-under for the week and place himself in a three-way tie for the lead ahead of the final round at Benoni Country Club.

He made 13 pars, four birdies, and a double on his way to the top of the leaderboard on Wednesday.

“It was a good one,” Davidowitz remarked. “I started on the 10^th; birdied that one in the cold. I had the ball on the string but couldn’t make any putts. I hit it to maybe four feet on 18 for eagle but I missed the putt, which was a bit embarrassing. Then, I lost a bit of momentum there and made par on the first hole, the par five.

“I hit one bad shot on three; it put me in a tough place and I walked away with a double-bogey there and then I birdied the last to make lunch taste a little bit better. But, overall, it was a good day. The greens were still fast and firm, so it was not a bad day at all.”

Sharing the lead with Davidowitz is the duo of Brandon Gildenhuys and overnight leader, Martin Vorster. The latter laboured to a one-under 71 to consolidate his spot at the summit of the leaderboard while the former produced a second successive 69 to claim his place at the top.

“I’m very excited for tomorrow,” admitted Gildenhuys who plays out of Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate in Ekurhuleni. “It’s the first time I have to play in the final group in a Betway Big Easy Tour tournament, so it will be a new challenge for me. It will be good to see how my nerves hold up but other than that, I am excited for tomorrow. We’ll take it as it comes.”

Gildenhuys’ round of 69 was characterised by six birdies and three dropped shots

“I know it sounds cliché but for one who has never been in this position on this Tour before, one has to take things one shot at a time,” added Gildenhuys. “At the end of the day, we’re just playing golf; the sport we love, so it’s all good. The pressure is always there but you try to focus on what’s important at that moment.

“Towards the end of today’s round, it was starting to get cold and it became a little tough making birdies towards the end. But, I started really nicely today again; I was driving it superbly again and holed a couple of good putts.”

Making the most of moving day on Wednesday was Bryanston Country Club’s Jaden Deltel whose five-under-par 67 on day two catapulted him to solo fourth on five-under. In a share of fifth on four-under is the duo of Tyrone Ryan and member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class, Yurav Premlal. Slade Pickering, Sentanio Minnie and Kyle McClatchie are a shot further and share the seventh spot on the leaderboard.

Vorster leads by one in Betway Big Easy Tour season-opener

The new Betway Big Easy Tour season got off to an exciting start at Benoni Country Club where Parys Golf and Country Club member, Leon Vorster, shot an impressive five-under 67 to lead by one shot after Tuesday’s round.

With Betway as the new sponsor of this Sunshine Tour feeder circuit, there was excitement all round the clubhouse at Benoni Country Club as the 2024/25 season got underway. Vorster was as outstanding as ever and produced a fine round of golf to take the early lead.

“I played really well today,” he said. “I putted well too. This course is quite tight, you know, but I think if you hit your driver well you will give yourself opportunities. The course is not very long and if you hit your driver well and get dialled in with your wedges, you can get some good scores around here.”

Vorster opened his round with an eagle and two birdies in the first five holes to set himself up for a good round. He dropped on 15 – his sixth hole of the day – but made up for that with a birdie on the first which was his 10^th hole. Those gains were soon lost, however, as he dropped on two. He made further gains on the 14^th and closed with another birdie for a slim one-stroke lead.

“I hit a very good driver on 10; just on the left of the fairway. Then, I hit a 5-iron to about six-feet; straight uphill putt and it was in the hole. It was a great start and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Coming in with an impressive score of his own – a 68 – veteran campaigner and member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class, Irvin Mazibuko put his experience out for all to see. En route to his four-under 68 opening round, the Soweto Country Club player didn’t drop a single shot on Tuesday. He is in a three-way share of second spot alongside Tyron Davidowitz and Gerhard Trytsman.

“You needed to be patient today,” Mazibuko said. “It was a day of patience even though I was hitting the ball well. This course is not as long but it is tough like the others we play on the Betway Big Easy Tour. The main thing is to hit the greens here and be patient if you’re not making putts; keep going. So, I would say the key for me was patience; being able to wait for your opportunities and when they came, you take advantage.”

Davidowitz said of his first round: “I got off to a good start; birdied two of the first four holes. And then, I hit a couple of bad drives and made a couple of bogeys and shot four-under with a bogey-free back nine. That was nice.”

Eugene du Plessis, Brandon Gildenhuys and another member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class, Musiwalo Nethunzwi, share fifth on the leaderboard after they all shot 69s. Tyrone Ryan, Richard Kruger, Thabang Simon, Toto Thimba Jnr and Yurav Premlal share eighth on two-under-par.

Betway takes over Big Easy Tour naming rights

South Africa’s leading online sports and gaming brand, Betway, is proud to be announced as the new title partner of the Big Easy Tour which is the feeder circuit of the Sunshine Tour for the upcoming season.

The Tour will now be known as the Betway Big Easy Tour and will feature ten 54-hole tournaments, a Play-Off event and a Grand Final. Having already been involved with professional golf in various capacities, including player sponsorships and supporting the Papwa Sewgolum Transformation Class, Betway is no stranger to professional and development golf in South Africa.

Sharing the brand’s views on its exciting new partnership with the Big Easy Tour, Betway’s Head of Marketing, Mark Rowles said that as a brand, Betway is proud to be partners with the Big Easy Tour.

“Being a partner of the Big Easy Tour is an initiative that bodes well with the values that we stand for as a brand,” said Rowles. “We have spearheaded a number of community sports initiatives that continue to yield incredible results in the communities that we serve. We are hoping that through our investment the Betway Big Easy Tour will continue to unearth the next heroes of South African golf.”

Formed back in 2011 with the support of the legendary Ernie Els, the Betway Big Easy Tour has been at the forefront of producing world-class golfers who have gone on to compete on the biggest stages in world golf. Among such players is Christiaan Bezuidenhout who went on to win the Investec South African Open Championship.

Speaking about this new partnership, Sunshine Tour Commissioner, Thomas Abt said: “This is an important milestone in the cycle of the Big Easy Tour. The value of the Betway Big Easy Tour cannot be overstated as it is one of the avenues through which we provide players with a direct pathway to the Sunshine Tour and the world.

“We are extremely pleased that Betway has come on board to partner with us on this journey. Our shared vision for the future of South African golf is what brought us to this point and we cannot thank Betway enough for partnering with us. The new Betway Big Easy Tour promises to be electrifying and it is through partners that we can afford our members with more playing opportunities. It’s a great day for the Big Easy Tour and I can safely say, it’s a great day for Betway too.”

Each of the 10 regular-season tournaments will carry prize money of R150 000 while The Play-Off tournament, which is the penultimate event of the season and will see only the top 50 players on the Order of Merit, will carry a purse of R250 000. In the final, only the top 30 players will compete for a grand prize of R300 000.

At the end of the season, the top 12 players on the Order of Merit will earn themselves Sunshine Tour cards while the top six transformation players on the standings will also earn their main Tour playing privileges.

The first event of the new season will be held at Benoni Country Club from June 25 to June 27. The Big Easy Tour was founded in 2011 with support from Ernie Els.

Simon plans ahead following Vusi Ngubeni triumph

Thabang Simon couldn’t hide his happiness following his hard-fought victory in last week’s Altron Vusi Ngubeni Tournament which guaranteed him and 12 others playing privileges in the upcoming season of the Sunshine Tour.

The Soweto Country Club player had it all to do in the final round as Thanda Mavundla, Thabiso Ngcobo and Slenda Sithebe, among others, were piling the pressure. In the end, however, his final-round 69 took his tournament total to 17-under and handed him a one-stroke win over Mavundla.

“It was very tough, I’m telling you,” said Simon. “The guys wanted to win it too but I stayed focused and reminded myself that I know what’s my number. I told myself that I needed to get it to 18-under and I’ll be okay, but 17-under is still fine with me. But I am so happy to finally get it done. It’s been a long time since I won at ERPM.

“This is a very important week for most of us here and it was always going to be tough. But, I always play the golf course rather than playing a man. It was important to keep fighting and playing good shots because that gave me opportunities and I was able to take advantage of some.”

At 49, Simon is no youngster and is fully aware of this. He admits that he still has enough in him to compete at the highest level but knows he will have to start thinking about the senior’s circuit at some point soon.

“This win means a lot to me because I’m close to being a senior now; I’m one minute close,” he says with loud laughter. “Now, here comes the Vusi Ngubeni title, just before these youngsters start thinking I’m done. My goal is to keep my Sunshine Tour card this season and see if I can’t compete for a couple of years but after that, I will definitely think about going into the seniors. I’ll be 50 next year, so I might as well start thinking about that path.

“I had a look at the entry list before we came here and some of these guys are really young. But, what impressed me the most is just the strength of this year’s Vusi field. I told my friend it was going to be a tough one and we needed to prepare well.  The guys here are really good, and the youngsters are exceptional too. It’s really good competition and I’m looking forward to the Sunshine Tour. We will then see from there if we can try the seniors.”

Along with Simon, Mavundla, Sithebe and Ngcobo, here are the other players who secured their Sunshine Tour statuses for next season.

Thabang Simon

Thanda Mavundla

Thabiso Ngcobo

Slenda Sithebe

Jastice Mashego

Teboho Sefatsa

Lyle Pedro

Jabulane Mabilane

Kayle Wykes

Tristin Gallant

Trevor Mahoney

Irvin Mazibuko

Relentless Simon in pole position at Vusi Ngubeni

Soweto Country Club’s Thabang Simon said on Tuesday his goal was to win or place within the top 12 finishers in this week’s Altron Vusi Ngubeni Tournament at Huddle Park Golf and Recreation, and now, he has a shot at both.

Simon – who has been at the summit of the leaderboard since the beginning of this 72-hole event – brought a slim one-stroke lead in the third round on Thursday. He was 10-under and one clear of Richard Kruger and Adriel Poonan of Pretoria Golf Club.

Now, and after another solid showing, the veteran campaigner will take a two-shot lead into the final round thanks to a brilliant four-under-par 68 on day three. Now totalling 14-under for the week and two clear of Vulintaba Country Estate’s Slenda Sithebe, Simon is within reach of his targets.

“Today was also a good day,” he said. “I had a brilliant front nine; I was four-under at the turn. I hit the ball well and I putted well too. Even on the back nine where I made the two bogeys, I think I did well. I three-putted on both times. I missed a short birdie-putt on number 12 and I think that’s where the problem started.

“Then on 13, I hit it left of the flag and I just hit my first putt short and the second and then I made bogey. On 15, I hit it left and three-putted again. But at the end of the day, I played well again.”

“I have been in the professional game for a long time, so I knew what I needed to do,” said Simon, alluding to how he kept his cool in the face of the mounting pressure. “Experience helps in these tournaments. I just tried to hit as many fairways as I could and avoid any trouble. I didn’t miss many greens because I was hitting it as well as I was yesterday.

“There is a feeling that I might have left a few out there but I can’t complain because I am still in contention. There is tough competition here but, as I said, I have played professional golf for a while and I know what to do and things not to do. Today, I tried to minimize the mistakes and I am happy that I managed a bogey-free round. It was a good day of golf.”

The four birdies he made on the front were accompanied by another two on the homeward nine and those, as he said, were cancelled out by the drops he made on that stretch.

“Putting has been giving me a little problem because I have missed many short putts,” added Simon. “Now, I bring two putters to the golf course –a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 and a King Cobra. I use one on the practice green to try and remember my most comfortable grip and I use the other to play. It helps me.”

He knows what’s at stake this week and that the chasing players are very capable of overturning a two-shot lead. After firing in a third successive 68 this week for a total of 12-under, Sithebe is one such player. He reeled in three birdies and a pair of eagles but made three bogeys in what could have been a truly magnificent outing for him. He was pleased, however, with how he played and his position going into the final round.

“Everything is still going according to plan,” said Sithebe. “I want to give credit to my caddie; he was exceptional. I didn’t play the wind well yesterday but today, my caddie was on the spot with everything. We just trusted each other so much and even though I know I played well, I think most credit goes to him.

“He gave me the perfect numbers for the eagle on 16 and then the one on 18; my playing partner and I were on the same spot and I saw him roll his in. I saw the line and I didn’t waste any time and I just went for it too. But I know tomorrow will be a different day and I need to forget about the last three days and start afresh.

“It’s going to be tough but like I said, everything has been going well so far and I want to continue like this. There are top players coming for the top spot and all of us are hungry. So, it will be fun but it’s going to be tough too.”

The top 12 finishers at the end of this qualifying school will earn Sunshine Tour cards for next season while the top 30 will get Altron Big Easy Tour cards.